RELATIONSHIP

10 Disadvantages, Problems and Challenges of Long-Distance Relationships

Distance relationships are one of the most common types of relationships due to technological advancement and the ability to connect with people from any part of the world. Distance relationships are seen as the best by people because the distance involved has been the reason for loving each other deeply.

However, the moment you accept a long-distance relationship for a trial, there are several disadvantages and challenges you may likely experience that may cause the relationship to fail. In this article, we shall discuss the challenges and problems of long-distance relationships while providing the possible solutions.

1. CHEATING

Cheating is inevitable in a long-distance relationship. Although cheating is common in all kinds of relationships, it is more common in long-distance relationships. The reason is that partners may have an affair while they are far away from each other due to loneliness, sexual urge, lack of loyalty, and many other reasons that may give the partners no other choice but to cheat.

Perhaps some will cheat, saying, “After all, I don’t know what my boyfriend or girlfriend is doing where S/he is.” To avoid this problem in your relationship, you could have superb sex whenever you and your partner meet. For instance, if you guys are to meet once a year, make sure you enjoy yourselves and have fun especially the sex part as this could possibly prevent him/her from cheating on you.

2. TRUST ISSUES

Another challenge of being in a long-distance relationship is having trust issues due to the absence of physical connection. Your partner may be worried and feel insecure about what you are doing, which may lead to trust issues and jealousy, and this may harm the relationship. When there are trust issues, falling into temptation becomes easy.

To avoid this problem, make sure you update your day-to-day activities with your spouse, let him/her know where you are, the places you went and what you are doing as this will foster trust in the relationship and give both of you peace of mind.

3. DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS DRAIN ENERGY, TIME, AND MONEY

Distance relationships consume a lot of money, time, and energy. You spend lots of time calling, texting, and chatting with your significant other; you will also create time for communication. Surprising and visiting them consumes extra money and time.

For instance, if you are dating someone in Lagos Nigeria, while you are in Abuja, due to the distance, you can’t visit at your convenience as you have to plan your visit, which requires lots of money. The relationship will definitely be difficult if you are not financially buoyant. To avoid this problem or solve these challenges, make sure you are okay financially before you try a long-distance relationship otherwise the relationship may fail.

4. LACK OF INTIMACY

One of the major challenges of long-distance relationships is the lack of physical intimacy, which includes holding hands, kissing, cuddling, and making love. Intimacy is important in every relationship, and the absence of it can make it challenging to feel connected to your significant other. To tackle this problem, invest in spending quality time together if possible and try to meet every 6 months no matter the distance.

5. COMMUNICATION ISSUES

Communication is a vital component of a long-distance relationship but can become a problem when one partner has a busy schedule, excess workloads, and other activities that take up their time. This can also result in misunderstandings in the relationship, especially when you have limited access to technology, and it will be difficult to resolve any issues since you can’t see each other face-to-face. To tackle this problem, ensure you have an agreement with your spouse on how effective your communication should be. You could fix a time to talk daily or biweekly.

6. CONFLICTS

In a long-distance relationship, constant fights and arguments may be inevitable because you are not physically together, and every means to settle your differences may prove abortive. When you are close to your partner, you can easily check up on him or her and settle any issues amicably, but the reverse Is the case for people in long-distance relationships, especially when your partner isn’t giving you his or her attention. There was a time I had to travel down to my spouse’s location for about an 8-hour journey just to resolve the misunderstanding between us. The experience was frustrating, but I had no choice.

7. LACK OF UNDERSTANDING

While distance relationships may seem to be the best in some aspects, a lack of understanding has always been a major problem. Spending quality time together regularly can boost your level of understanding, but how do you achieve this when you are far away from each other? Besides, how will you know them better and be aware of the things that annoy them?

This could be very impossible, which is why some long-distance relationships fail. If they don’t pick up your calls on time, you get annoyed, and the worst is if they don’t call or pick up your calls in days. You know what damage this may cause to the relationship. To avoid this problem, it is important for you to resolve any misunderstanding virtually either on video calls or through texts. Never ignore their calls or messages as this can harm your relationship.

8. NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT

The relationship becomes boring when there is little or nothing to talk about or when the conversation is excessive. Sometimes, you want to talk but don’t know what to talk about. This may affect the vibe in your relationship. If you ever experienced this in your long-distance relationship, try to talk about your day-to-day activities, where you went, and how you spent your day. You could talk about trends on social media.

9. TRAVELING.

As stated earlier, Traveling is one of the challenges that may affect your relationship. The cost of traveling from one state or town to another is high and requires adequate planning. The distance creates a barrier, and it becomes extremely difficult to engage in deep conversations when you are not with each other. When you meet, you have limited time to spend with each other. Imagine seeing your partner just once a year or twice in three years; this isn’t enough to create a strong bond in relationships.

10. LIES

In a long-distance relationship, you easily believe cheap lies. Your partner may be with another man in a nightclub while claiming to be in night class, and this can give you a serious headache and unnecessary fear. Perhaps if someone tells you she saw your spouse with another man or woman, you will believe them easily because there is no way to be sure. Even if you trust them with your life, you may have doubts sometimes. It is very easy to pretend and fool someone in a long-distance relationship, but if you are close to each other, S/he won’t be able to pretend for long.

The disadvantages and challenges of long-distance relationships are greater than the advantages. Cheating becomes inevitable, and before you know it, the love begins to fade away. Thus, before you try a Long-distance relationship, make sure you already have a physical connection with your spouse and understand each other better. If not, the relationship may not survive in future.

In summary, the disadvantages and challenges of a long-distance relationship are cheating, misunderstanding, trust issues, a lack of physical intimacy, poor communication, traveling, and spending quality time together. However, Distance is not a barrier to having a good relationship as long as you are truly in love with each other, hold on and don’t let go. Here are some tips for making your long-distance relationship work out.